Baysinger Angela, Kogan Lori R
Veterinary and Consumer Affairs, Merck Animal Health, DeSoto, KS, United States.
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
Front Vet Sci. 2022 Apr 5;9:842585. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.842585. eCollection 2022.
This study was designed to assess the mental health of swine veterinarians involved with mass depopulation events related to COVID-19 and compare them to swine veterinarians not involved in mass depopulation. Additionally, we assessed the well being, quality of life, psychological distress, burnout, and resilience in veterinarians who conducted depopulation events and the potential impact of depopulation methods on these factors. Finally, we identified coping methods utilized by swine veterinarians for improved well being. The study involved the distribution of an anonymous online survey, available December 2020 to January 2021, to swine veterinarians practicing in the United States. A total of 134 responses were analyzed. Stress related to the depopulation effort was predominantly an outcome of two factors: ethics of care (people and pigs) and perception of others (public, colleagues, family, friends, neighbors). Depopulation involvement was associated with burnout (p = 0.001). The depopulation method utilized significantly impacted depopulation distress (p = 0.007), perception of others ( < 0.001), and burnout ( < 0.001). Nearly one-third (29%) of all participants reported moderate levels of burnout. Based on these results, the call to action is to enhance the availability and visibility of existing mental health services and take necessary steps to destigmatize mental health. Additionally, it is critical to support the development of mental health programs for swine veterinarians through education, training, research, and transparent communication.
本研究旨在评估参与与新冠疫情相关的大规模猪只扑杀事件的猪兽医的心理健康状况，并将他们与未参与大规模扑杀的猪兽医进行比较。此外，我们评估了参与扑杀事件的兽医的幸福感、生活质量、心理困扰、职业倦怠和恢复力，以及扑杀方法对这些因素的潜在影响。最后，我们确定了猪兽医为改善幸福感所采用的应对方法。该研究通过在2020年12月至2021年1月期间向在美国执业的猪兽医发放匿名在线调查问卷来开展。共分析了134份回复。与扑杀工作相关的压力主要源于两个因素：护理伦理（人与猪）以及他人的看法（公众、同事、家人、朋友、邻居）。参与扑杀与职业倦怠相关（p = 0.001）。所采用的扑杀方法对扑杀困扰（p = 0.007）、他人看法（< 0.001）和职业倦怠（< 0.001）有显著影响。近三分之一（29%）的参与者报告有中度职业倦怠水平。基于这些结果，行动呼吁是提高现有心理健康服务的可及性和可见性，并采取必要措施消除心理健康的污名化。此外，通过教育、培训、研究和透明沟通来支持为猪兽医制定心理健康项目至关重要。
